There is never a wrong time to invest in mutual funds for retirement. So, if you're still looking for the best mutual funds, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank can be a great guide.

The best way to shortlist great mutual funds is to ensure solid performance, diversification, and low fees. Some are better than others, but utilizing the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, we have identified three mutual funds that could be solid additions to one's retirement portfolio.

Here are the funds that have achieved the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and have low fees.

Neuberger Berman Guardian Investor (NGUAX Quick QuoteNGUAX - Free Report) : 0.84% expense ratio and 0.74% management fee. NGUAX is a part of the Large Cap Value category, and invests in equities with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more, but whose share prices do not reflect their intrinsic value. NGUAX has achieved five-year annual returns of an astounding 12.04%.

Schwartz Value Fund (RCMFX Quick QuoteRCMFX - Free Report) : 1.16% expense ratio and 0.8% management fee. RCMFX is a Small Cap Value mutual fund, investing in small companies with stock market valuation less than $2 billion. With yearly returns of 12.23% over the last five years, RCMFX is an effectively diversified fund with a long reputation of solidly positive performance.

JPMorgan Large Cap Growth I (SEEGX Quick QuoteSEEGX - Free Report) is an attractive large-cap allocation. SEEGX is a Large Cap Growth option; these mutual funds purchase stakes in numerous large U.S. companies that are expected to develop and grow at a faster rate than other large-cap stocks. SEEGX has an expense ratio of 0.68%, management fee of 0.45%, and annual returns of 13.1% over the past five years.

These examples highlight the fact that there are some astonishingly good mutual funds out there. If your advisor has you in the good ones, bravo! If not, you may need to have a talk.